Chris Brown was a no-show at Sunday night’s BET Awards because producers pulled his performance at the last minute.
According to several insiders, Brown’s appearance was considered risky business on a night honoring Michael Jackson. The “No Air” singer is facing negative publicity after pleading guilty to the February assault of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
One source says Brown’s absence came at the insistence of the Rev. Al Sharpton. “Al made such a fuss to the BET executives that they pulled Chris,” says our insider, who adds that Jay-Z also had a hand in the decision. “Jay is a big name in the BET community, and he was very vocal about his displeasure with Chris attending the ceremony. He didn’t want Chris anywhere near the awards so close to the court’s ruling.”
Brown isn’t taking the public dis on the chin, either. “He’s furious,” a pal of the singer tells us. “BET asked him to perform and waited until the last minute to tell him it was off. He’s pretty shocked and outraged right now.”
Both BET publicists and Brown’s camp say the singer was never confirmed for the show.
Meanwhile, Rihanna’s absence from the event was just as noticeable as Brown’s. But while her ex fumed, the “Umbrella” singer was busy hanging out with her crush, Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis, in NYC. Says a rep for the beauty, “Rihanna was never meant to attend [the BET awards].”
Also expected at the ceremony were Usher and Justin Timberlake; both bowed out of the event but agreed to take part in a later tribute to Jackson on BET.
Usher, who attended fashion shows in Paris over the weekend, sent his regrets in a prepared statement. Timberlake was also out of the country, hitting up both Wimbledon and the Hard Rock Calling concert in London.
As for Chris Breezy, I totally agree with Al. Come on people.....he just got the ruling. It's just not tasteful. Chris needs to get used to dealing with the pushback for a while. This isn't going to blow over in a night. It takes time. At the end of the day he hit the girl and it was wrong so it's going to take time for things to be forgotten.
Everyone knows that was R Kelly in that video and BET still supports and endorses him. So they can certainly forgive Chris.
ReplyDeleteI hope Chris can get himself together and people can forgive him. I know he made a mistake, let us give him a chance to show how really sorry he is.
ReplyDeleteI hope Chris can get himself together and people can forgive him. I know he made a mistake, let us give him a chance to show how really sorry he is.
ReplyDelete